Va. probing why Creigh Deeds` son was released from custody

Nov. 20--The director of Virginia's inspector general program for behavioral health has opened an investigation of why the son of state Sen. Creigh Deeds was released from an emergency custody order 13 hours before he stabbed his father multiple times at their Bath County home and then shot himself fatally on Monday.

G. Douglas Bevelacqa, director of the division of the state inspector general's office for behavioral health, said he opened the investigation early today after the Richmond Times-Dispatch and other media outlets reported that the Rockbridge Area Community Services Board released Austin C. "Gus" Deeds from an emergency custody order on Monday evening at 6:30 p.m.

The Bath County Sheriff's Department received an emergency 911 call on Tuesday at 7:25 a.m. that led them to the Deeds home in Millboro, where they found Gus Deeds dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His father, who had been picked up by a cousin after staggering to a nearby highway, was airlifted to the University of Virginia Medical Center for emergency surgery.

The senator's' condition was upgraded from fair to good today.

Officials at the Rockbridge CSB said they had to release Deeds because the statutory limit for holding someone involuntarily had expired before they could locate a bed at a psychiatric facility where he could be held for an additional 48 hours under a temporary detention order. Several media outlets reported today that at least two private hospitals, U.Va. and Rockingham General in Harrisonburg, and one state hospital, Western State in Staunton, said they were not contacted by the CSB about beds and could have accommodated Gus Deeds.

Percy "Buzz" Nowlin III, chairman of the Rockbridge Area CSB, said today that "thorough records exist of every hospital that was contacted" to find bed space for the young Deeds.

Bevelacqua said the conflicting accounts will be examined as part of his office's investigation. "We're going to be looking at all that stuff," he said.

"We are at the very early stages obviously," he said. "I don't want to get ahead of the process."

Rockbridge CSB executive director Dennis Cropper told The Times-Dispatch Tuesday that his agency tried to locate bed space for Deeds at eight hospitals but that none was available and Deeds was released under provisions of state law limiting the time a person can be detained under an emergency custody order. A person can be detained for up to six hours but must be released if no bed space is available to treat and assess someone who may be a danger to himself or others.

No information has been released detailing the younger Deeds' condition although he was the subject of an emergency custody order issued by a magistrate that allowed the Bath County sheriff's department to pick him up and transfer him to Bath Community Hospital.

Bevelacqua formerly was Virgniia inspector general for behavioral health and developmental services. His office became part of a new Office of the Inspector General. He serves as director of investigations, inspections and quality review for behavioral health and developmental services.

Copyright 2013 - Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va.